Blog Archive

09 Feb 2017

The weather outside has been frightening! But don’t let that stop you from contacting us for a painting proposal to get on our Spring- Summer schedule now! Call Shepard Painting at 503-740-3600 and schedule a time that works for you…

16 Jan 2014

Homes aren’t merely the places that people dwell. Home is the spiritual heart of our society, our refuge, our place of contentment, and the feelings that home evokes are unique and precious to every individual. It’s priceless. Historic homes are extra powerful because they not only speak intimately of those who live there now, but they speak of generations of people who came before.

Shepard Painting and CJ Hurley Century Arts have worked together for many years on countless projects. The expert color research and detailed instructions on placement from Century Arts combined with the technical knowledge and craftsmanship of the Shepard Painting crews has transformed many homes that you most likely have admired in your travels around Portland.

16 Jan 2014

The Architectural Heritage Center is a non-profit resource for historic preservation owned and operated by the Bosco-Milligan Foundation. As “home base” for heritage conservation in the Portland, Oregon metro area, the Architectural Heritage Center hosts dozens of programs, tours, and exhibits each year which help people appreciate and preserve older and historic buildings, neighborhoods, and traditional commercial areas.

The AHC is also steward of one of the largest collections of architectural artifacts in the United States, maintains a research library, and hosts art exhibits which honor the historic and creative legacy of its founders, Jerry Bosco and Ben Milligan. The work of the Architectural Heritage Center is made possible only through contributions from a community of members who support preservation of our historic building traditions, and the craftsmanship, culture, and environmental sustainability they represent.

Shepard Painting is a proud member and supporter of the Architectural Heritage Center.

For more than a decade, the Bosco-Milligan Foundation’s strong, ongoing commitment to preserving our regional architectural heritage has been based on the belief that vintage buildings and traditional neighborhoods are essential to the vitality and identity of our communities. Established in Portland, Oregon in 1987, the Bosco-Milligan Foundation is one of Oregon’s most active non-profit historic preservation organizations.

FUN FACT:

16 Jan 2014

Shepard Painting and Viridian Window Restoration have teamed up to restore old Portland windows! This strategic partnership with Viridian Window Restoration is perfect. Together they have restored and painted some of Portland’s most well known historic buildings, like The Chown Pella Lofts. Here’s Viridian’s story:

With over 15 years of successful historic restoration work on the East Coast, the patented Bi-Glass System® is now available in the Pacific Northwest! The Bi-Glass System® will replace single pane glass with high-quality insulated glass while still retaining your old sash, including divided lights! Reusing your old sash saves money and maintains the architectural integrity of your house or commercial property. After adding new weather-stripping and locks (or keeping your old locks if they’re in good shape), you will have a truly energy-efficient window unit that will keep you warm in the winter and cool in the summer.

There are a number of options for balancing your sashes once the glass has been replaced with new energy efficient insulated glass units:

You can keep the original sash weights and pulleys! We will replace any broken components and install new sash cords and some added weight to compensate for the heavier double pane glass. This option is our preference as we are historic preservationists at heart!

The next option is installing new spring tape balances. Tape balances have been used for over a hundred years and take the place of the weight and pulley system. They are mounted in the pulley holes and have a flat spring tape that replaces the sash cord. This system is good for large windows. With this option the weight pockets can be insulated.

Another option is installing new invisible spring balances. With this option the sash cords are removed along with the sash weights and the empty pocket is insulated.

Finally, you can install vinyl jamb liners that allow you to tilt the window out for easy cleaning & painting. This requires a portion of the sash to be cut away to allow for the jamb liner. In some cases this option may be the most convenient. As with the 2nd and 3rd options above, the weight pocket can be insulated.

Viridian Windows and Shepard Painting are a perfect combination for your old Portland home!

FUN FACT:

You probably can’t replace your old wooden sashes! What we mean is that wooden replacement sashes are made from sustainable growth forests (which is good), but this “new” wood is generally not as hearty or rot resistant as your original, old growth pine or fir sashes.

EXPERIMENT:

As an experiment, count the growth rings on one of your old sashes (chances are there will be 25, or even 35 or more!), then count the growth rings on a new replacement sash (you may see no more than 8-10 rings). In other words, your old windows are truly irreplaceable!